The deficits for contrast detection and positional accuracy were compared for chromatic and luminance mechanisms within a group of strabismic and anisometropic amblyopes. We found that the isoluminant point was shifted towards red in the amblyopic compared to the fellow normal eye. This was not accounted for by eccentric fixation by the amblyopic eye. Contrast sensitivity deficits were similar for luminance and color stimuli in normal and amblyopic visual systems. In the majority of our amblyopic subjects, however, the deficits in positional acuity were greater for the chromatic than the luminance stimuli.